Pickering Kerrie, Pearce Tristan, Manuel Lui, Doran Brendan, Smith Timothy F
Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556 Australia.
Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada.
Reg Environ Change. 2023;23(2):61. doi: 10.1007/s10113-023-02059-6. Epub 2023 Apr 5.
This article examines food security in the Sigatoka Valley, one of the most productive food regions in Fiji, in the context of recent socio-ecological challenges through a case study of Narewa village. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews ( = 25), a fixed question food insecurity experience survey ( = 25), and a free listing exercise about preferred and consumed foods ( = 24). Results revealed that while most households had access to sufficient food, the increased frequency and intensity of droughts, tropical cyclones, and flooding caused almost half to worry about meeting their future food needs. To date, a culture of sharing within the village has helped most households access food but this will likely be inadequate to meet future needs as climate change is projected to impact food production. Given that the foundation of food production in Narewa, like other villages in the valley, relies on the long-term viability of agricultural systems, better focus needs to be placed on the natural resources that form the backbone of these systems such as water availability, soil health, and slope stability and their resilience to anthropogenic and natural stressors. Efforts that focus on protecting and enhancing local ecosystems in light of expected future climate change, combined with greater attention on food storage and the use of resilient crops, and enhancing social cohesion and sharing networks are needed to avoid breaching tipping points in the food system.
本文通过对纳雷瓦村的案例研究，在近期社会生态挑战的背景下，考察了斐济粮食产量最高的地区之一锡加托卡河谷的粮食安全状况。数据收集采用了半结构化访谈（25人）、固定问题粮食不安全经历调查（25人）以及关于偏好和食用食物的自由列举练习（24人）。结果显示，虽然大多数家庭有足够的食物供应，但干旱、热带气旋和洪水发生频率和强度的增加，导致近半数家庭担心未来的粮食需求无法满足。迄今为止，村庄内的共享文化帮助大多数家庭获取食物，但随着气候变化预计将影响粮食生产，这可能不足以满足未来的需求。鉴于纳雷瓦以及该河谷其他村庄的粮食生产基础依赖于农业系统的长期可持续性，需要更加关注构成这些系统支柱的自然资源，如水的可利用性、土壤健康、边坡稳定性及其对人为和自然压力源的恢复力。鉴于未来预期的气候变化，需要努力保护和增强当地生态系统，同时更加关注粮食储存和抗逆作物的使用，并加强社会凝聚力和共享网络，以避免突破粮食系统的临界点。
